As the FIDE World Championship kicks off again, I have treated myself to the small indulgence of reading through a few chess websites. ChessHistory, by the quasi existent Edward Winter, is still going strong. It’s latest foray being the noting down of small mentions of ‘chess shirts’. Leaving aside those banal parts, it does do a most excellent line in furiously pedantic History Master seconded from the English Lit. department. I don’t believe that anything close to it exists in the world of Go, would that obsession might permit such a beast on our terrain. Leaving chess aside, as one must, I have as always skimped on my planned attempts at improving at Go. My latest serious game consisted of a dreamy effort against Georgia in the PGETC. There, I believe my opponent nodded off during the middle game, allowing me to progressively re-enter the game and then kill all his stones. This is (at least roughly) what LeelaZero tells me in as many words. Still some practice needed then at the opening in particular it seems. For that I have been referring to Dave de Vos’s videos on YouTube. A pretty damn fine resource actually, as nobody else is really cataloging opening theory these days. For this year there looks to be little left. A match with Bulgaria, some New Year’s resolutions to break, and a project to find.